August 4
JAPAN:
JFBA delegation to Europe to study impact of death penalty abolition
The Japan Federation of Bar Associations said Wednesday it will send a
delegation to Germany and Britain later this month to study how abolition
of capital punishment has affected the 2 countries.
The 13-member delegation is also expected to research the 2 countries'
legal systems, including ways to prevent death-penalty misjudgments and
support for crime victims, during the trip from Aug. 20 to 28, it said.
(source: Japan Today)
INDIA:
SC confirms death penalty on Afzal; Geelnai acquited
Nearly 4 years after the attack on parliament that shook the nation, the
Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the death penalty on a Jaish-E-Mohd
militant Mohd. Afzal but reduced it in the case of his cousin Shaukat
Hussain guru to 10 years imprisonment.
It also endorsed the acquittal of his wife Afsan Guru and a Delhi lecturer
S A R Geelani. In its 271-page judgement on cross appeals filed by the
Delhi police, Afzal and Shaukat, a bench comprising Justice P V Reddi and
Justice P P Naolekar said there was a needle of suspicion on Geelani
regarding his role in the "diabolical act" of attacking the supreme seat
of democracy but there was no direct evidence to convict him in the case.
The trial court had awarded a death penalty to Shaukat, Afzal and Geelani
while sentencing Afsan to 5 years imprisonment for their role in the
December 13, 2001 terrorist attack on parliament, which had led to
mobilisation of troops on the Indo-Pak border.
The Delhi high court had upheld the death penalty to Afzal and Shaukat
under sections 302 (murder), 121 (waging war against the nation) and
sections 3(2) and 4 of pota but had acquitted both Geelani and Afsan.
Terming the attack on parliament as an unparalled assault on the supreme
seat of democracy, Justice Reddi, pronouncing the verdict for the bench in
a jam-packed court, said there was clinching evidence against Afzal
regarding his nexus with the slain terrorists who carried out the
"terrorist act of most diabolical nature".
(source: New India Press)
IRAN:
News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty
International
AI Index: MDE 13/041/2005 3 August 2005
Iran: Amnesty International urges new President to make human rights a top
priority
Iran's new President, Dr Mahmoud Ahmadinezhad, should make human rights a
top priority after he takes up office, Amnesty International said today,
warning that recent weeks have seen renewed violations of human rights in
the country.
The human rights organisation said it was worried by a number of recent
developments, including the public execution of people who were children
at the time of their alleged crimes.
Amnesty International has written to the new President and two other key
figures, Iran's Supreme Leader and the Head of the Judiciary, urging them
to seize the moment of Dr Ahmadinezhad's inauguration to launch a
programme of human rights reform.
The organisation said it had been encouraged by Ahmadinezhad's
pre-election pledges to apply justice and to combat poverty, corruption
and discrimination. If implemented, these could benefit many Iranians. But
advances on these issues needed to be accompanied by rapid and
far-reaching human rights reform. Iranians must be allowed to enjoy the
fundamental human rights that have been denied to them for so long
freedom of speech, access to justice, and security from torture and the
death penalty - or else any progress on these other questions will be
undermined, said Amnesty International.
Amnesty International was also encouraged by a recent report ordered by
the Head of the Judiciary, Ayatollah Shahroudi, which detailed human
rights violations in Iran's detention centres. The organisation is seeking
information on measures that may be taken to redress these violations and
to implement a law banning torture passed following a directive issued by
Ayatollah Shahroudi. The true test will be whether officials who have
ordered or administered torture will be brought to justice, said Amnesty
International.
As a first step, the human rights organisation urged the new President and
Head of the Judiciary to order the immediate and unconditional release of
all prisoners of conscience, including journalist Akbar Ganji and human
rights defender Nasser Zarafshan, both currently on conditional release in
Tehran hospitals. Akbar Ganji has been on hunger strike since 11 June,
demanding medical treatment, unfettered access to his family and lawyer
and to be freed.
These men should not have been imprisoned in the first place but now they
are ill and must be released unconditionally, said Amnesty International.
It also called for the rapid but thorough review of all political
prisoners' cases to ensure that prisoners of conscience are released and
others receive fair trials, including Manuchehr Mohammadi imprisoned after
the 1999 "18 Tir" student demonstrations, who is currently on hunger
strike in Evin Prison, demanding access to adequate medical treatment.
Amnesty International is also calling for:
+ Safeguards against torture, including prompt, independent investigation
of all torture allegations and prosecution and imprisonment of any
officials who use, order or condone torture.
+ The repeal of all laws allowing the imprisonment of prisoners of
conscience and discrimination on grounds of race, ethnicity, gender,
sexuality or language.
+ Abolition of special courts such as the Revolutionary and Press Courts,
and the Special Court for the Clergy, whose procedures fall short of
international fair trial standards.
+ Respect of the right freely to practise ones faith, or no faith, without
fear of persecution
+ A moratorium on the death penalty and immediate action to prevent
further executions of prisoners who are children or who were children at
the time of the alleged crime.
+ Urgent and impartial investigation of all enforced disappearances and
extrajudicial executions, and an end to impunity for the perpetrators.
+ The repeal of legal provisions which facilitate "honour" crimes and the
introduction of new laws and other measures to ensure full and equal
respect for women's human rights.
View all documents on Iran at:
http://amnesty-news.c.topica.com/maadPeAabjcqAbb0havb/
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(source: Amnesty International)
UZBEKISTAN:
Foreign officials welcome decision on cancelling of death penalty
British Foreign and Commonwealth Office representative B.Greenwood
welcomed the decision of the Uzbek leader on abolishment of the capital
punishment, UzA reported.
The report said that Greenwood noted that the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office had always stood for abolition of the death penalty. The Foreign
Office "understands that the period until 1 January 2008 is required for
working with the public and creation of corresponding conditions in the
penitentiary facilities," he said.
Chairman of the British Parliament's Human Rights Committee E.Dismore sad
he was "glad to know about the Uzbek Presidents signing of the decree on
abolishment of death penalty in the Republic of Uzbekistan."
K.Stone, head of the British Helsinki Commission for Human Rights, said
"it was a long-awaited moment for many human rights and international
organizations." She underlined that "if Uzbekistan expresses will to
abolish death penalty, this will only be welcomed."
Austrian Foreign Ministry representatives H.Gurer ang G.Mauetner-Makrchof
highly evaluated this step of Uzbekistan and noted its high importance.
They said they were ready to initiate preparation of a special statement
of the EU on this matter.
Advisor of the French delegation to OSCE F.De Touche said the decision to
abolish capital punishment was a wise step. Uzbekistan has started solving
a complex but needed task, he said.
(source: UzReport.com)
